Far From the Madding Crowd

August 16, 2008
Hip pub an Oxford. I never cottoned to this place, as it exudes a curious, and unfounded, arrogance. Maybe it’s just the clientele. It’s a competent pub, I suppose, but the scene is kind of lame and it has very little charm.

August 10, 2008
Visited on a busy Tuesday evening in September 2007. Open and bright in a big main room full of dark wood and green walls, a nice typical manly pub. An intriguing selection of 8 casks and guest ales, all looking tasty and well-tapped by the locals. Service was ok but busy (and not chatty). Overall, a definite stop for anyone even remotely nearby, I only wish I had come here sooner to try everything and soak up the atmosphere (as opposed to soak up the rain, which we were doing outside).

April 21, 2008
A medium sized, oblong room stripped down to basic with wood panelled, dark interior. Could be called a backstreet boozer located straight down from St. Mary Magdalen in St. Giles. The Friar’s Entry is not shown on every tourist map so it could be a bit tricky to find. The pub is a Freehouse with six ales on cask, often from small local breweries. I had ales from Vale, Ballards, Oldershaw and Hopshackle during my visit. The pub has got an annual beer festival in the springtime (late March). Comfortable and relaxing place with music for the sixties in the background. The service was alright and the toilets clean and tidy (visited 16.03.2008).

February 17, 2008
Soulless modern cafe style place - corporate and anonymous. An empty cold feel - echoing and vaguely unpleasant. Imagine a Wetherspoon without the - erm - charm and character, and you get the idea. Most Spoons don’t have much charm in the first place, but they have it in spades compared to this dentist’s waiting room. The only redeeming quality is the beer range, but this is not the only pub in town offering guests, so that is not a big plus. I did find the veggie sausage and mash to be quite unique and tasty.

November 23, 2006
The reason to visit FFtMC is consistently well kept ales. The only pub in Oxford where I don’t recall ever experiencing an off pint. Their festivals are particularily worth seeking out. (Not huge tap lists, but also no casks that seem to be there as filler.) Food is fair--decent quality, kind of skimpy portions for the money. Staff are reasonably pleasant. Sometimes smoky. The inside is comfortable and pleasant, lots of comfortable seating. But as mentioned, not a lot of character either.

September 28, 2006
This is a regular haunt of mine whilst in and around Oxford. This pub was created when the whole Debenhams site was being redeveloped. Whilst it’s hardly the most picturesque of pubs it’s a new pub which is a relief and one that often has a decent selection of beers in a pleasant atmosphere.

January 31, 2004
Last, but definitely not least, on the Oxford centre pub crawl. This is a new venture for the previous Licensees of the Bookbinders. My biggest doubt about it would be its lack of sense of belonging, as with its name it is a work of fiction, it is a converted shop and has all the ambiance of a Macpub. I won't dwell on that though because it strength is its beer and the knowledge of the owners of how to keep and serve it. It is a pub that hopefully will settle into its surroundings and is a valuable addition to the thriving Oxford Beer scene.

January 28, 2004
One of the newer pubs in Oxford and difficult enough to find that it probably will never be a huge tourist destination at any rate, this is one moderately large room with a decor not entirely different than the Borders bookstore next door. The are some macros available, but the best thing going is the two or three guest casks always available. The selection changes as the casks run dry, which is every one to three days depending on the day, and it has featured some of the most interesting beers I've seen in Oxford--more exotic than the Turf Tavern, on par with the Hobgoblin. Less smoke-filled and rough than the Hobgoblin, too. There is a regular cask as well, which was the Oxford Bitter last time I was there. Not the greatest atmosphere when compared to Oxford great pubs, but very satisfactory and very reliable for new UK microbrews.